I once co-hosted a conference about China with Dr. Kissinger. When it came to the inevitability and success of China with world peace and development trend, the Chinese word “Shi” could not fit into a corresponding word in English, but Dr. Kissinger explained it thoroughly. He said, "Shi" (potential) is one of China's political philosophy concept, which refers to the development direction of world events, like no power can stop water dropping from a height. Politicians' task is to determine where the “Shi” is, and lead the people to move toward this direction. Think-tank’s in-depth research and opinion in the big trend of the world theory are undoubtedly important to the decision-making reference. China has the successful practice in this aspect, so it can do more.
The advice we hear most often in the United States is that they hope China would provide more authoritative interpretation of its latest policies and trends and international packaging. Think tank in our country should work as a bridge, which helps the people outside of China better understand why Chinese people think and behave this way, to introduce the success of China and tell them what challenges we are facing. We need a large number of talents who are good at explaining China’s situations to outside world.
The number of think-tanks in China is increasing with the pace of Reform and Opening up. They not only provide ideas and suggestions for decision-making but also lead social thinking. An international study showed that China ranks second in the world with 429 think tanks, while the United States has 1823, more than four times that of China. In the top 50 top think-tanks, 43 are from Western countries, three are from China, and one is from Russia. In international academic assessment, think tanks from emerging economies such as China lag behind in terms of both quantity and quantity; the gap between innovation and international influence is still quite large. In terms of the most innovative policy advice and best use of the Internet and social media, the best use of multimedia technology, foreign relations, and public participation in the global ranking of project such as, no Chinese think tanks is on the list.
Surely, the international assess cannot fully reflect the Chinese think-tank’s level. A variety of research achievements of think-tanks in China have made many contributions to decision making for many years. Chinese think-tanks need to learn from others, strengthen the international contact, constantly improve the level of internationalization, and they also needs to adhere to their own road conforms to national conditions. Think-tanks, of course, should also put forward more constructive opinions and proposals and pay more attention to the nation’s major policy and trends in decision making.
(The author is a member of the Standing Committee and Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress)
Childhood in an isolated sterile room
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